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Inkscape keyboard and mouse reference

Version 1.1.x

Last revision: 2021-10-28

This document describes the default keyboard and mouse shortcuts of Inkscape, corresponding to the
share/inkscape/keys/inkscape.xml file in your Inkscape installation. Some of the keyboard short-
cuts may not be available for non-US keyboard layouts, but most (not all) of these shortcuts are con-
figurable by the user. You can create custom shortcuts and load custom keyboard shortcut files in the
Inkscape Preferences, or by following the instructions in the default.xml file.

Unless noted otherwise, keypad keys (such as arrows , Home , End , + , - , digits ) are
supposed
to work the same as corresponding regular keys.

Tools
Dialogs
Open
Toggle visibility
Within a dialog
XML editor

Tool controls bar

Access
Navigate
Change values

Canvas
Zoom
Preset zooms
Zoom history
Scroll (pan)
Guides, grids, snapping
Display/Color mode
Split Canvas

Document
Palette
File
Window
Extensions
Layers
Hide/lock

Object
 Undo/redo
Clipboard
Duplicate
Clone
Bitmaps
Patterns
Guides
Group
Align
Z-order

Path
Convert to path
Boolean operations
Offsets
Combine
Simplify
Path effects

Selector
Select (mouse)
Rubberband, touch selection
Select (keyboard)
Select within group, select under
Move (mouse)
Move (keyboard)
Transform (mouse)
Scale by handles
Scale (keyboard)
Rotate/skew by handles
Rotate (keyboard)
Flip
Rotation center
Cancel

Node tool
Select objects (mouse)
Select nodes (mouse)
Rubberband selection
Select nodes (keyboard)
Grow/shrink node selection
Move nodes (mouse)
Move nodes (keyboard)
Move node handle (mouse)
Scale handle (1 node selected)
Rotate handle (1 node selected)
Handles visibility
Scale nodes (>1 nodes selected)
Rotate nodes (>1 nodes selected)
Flip nodes (>1 nodes selected)
Change segment(s)
Change node type
Join/break
Delete, create, duplicate
Reverse
Edit shapes
Edit fills and path effects
Cancel
Tweak tool
Operation
Modes
Parameters

Zoom tool
Measure tool
Rectangle tool
Draw
Select
Resize by handles
Round corners by handles

3D box tool
Draw
Select
Edit by handles
Edit perspectives

Ellipse tool
Draw
Select
Edit by handles

Star tool
Draw
Select
Edit by handles

Spiral tool
Draw
Select
Edit by handles

Pencil tool
Create dots

Pen (Bezier) tool

Create nodes
Move last node
Create/modify segments
Create dots
Finish
Cancel

Calligraphy tool
Draw
Create dots

Text tool
Select/create
Navigate in text
Flowed text (internal frame)
Flowed text (external frame)
Text on path
Edit text
Select text
Style selection
Letter spacing
Line spacing
Kerning and shifting
Rotate
Spray tool
Modes
Parameters

Eraser tool
Paint Bucket
Gradient tool
Select objects
Create gradients
Select handles
Create/delete intermediate stops
Move handles/stops
Reverse

Dropper tool

Tools
F1 , s Selector

Space Selector (temporary)

Space switches to the Selector tool temporarily; another Space switches back.

When the "Mouse move pans when Space is pressed" option is on in Preferences, Space+mouse drag pans canvas instead of

switching to/from Selector.

F2 , n Node tool

Shift + F2 , w Tweak tool

F3 , z Zoom tool

m Measure tool

F4 , r Rectangle tool

Shift + F4 , x 3D box tool

F5 , e Ellipse/arc tool

Shift + F9 , * Star tool

F9 , i Spiral tool

F6 , p Pencil (Freehand) tool

Shift + F6 , b Pen (Bezier) tool

Ctrl + F6 , c Calligraphy tool

F8 , t Text tool

Shift + F3 , a Spray tool

Shift + E Eraser tool

Shift + F7 , u Paint Bucket tool

Ctrl + F1 , g Gradient tool

F7 , d Dropper tool

Ctrl + F2 , o Connector tool

 Double click on the tool buttons opens the Preferences dialog showing the page of the corresponding tool.

Dialogs
Open

Shift + Ctrl + F Fill and Stroke

Shift + Ctrl + W Swatches

Shift + Ctrl + T Text and Font

Shift + Ctrl + M Transform

Shift + Ctrl + L Layers

Shift + Ctrl + A Align and Distribute

Shift + Ctrl + O Object Properties

Shift + Ctrl + H Undo History

Shift + Ctrl + X XML Editor

Shift + Ctrl + Q Selectors and CSS dialog (experimental)

Shift + Ctrl + D Document Properties

Shift + Ctrl + P Inkscape Preferences

Shift + Ctrl + E Export to PNG

Ctrl + F Find

Shift + Alt + B Trace Bitmap

Shift + Ctrl + 7 Path Effects

Ctrl + Alt + K Check Spelling

These shortcuts open a new dialog window if it wasn't open yet, otherwise the corresponding dialog gets focus.

Toggle visibility

F12 toggle dialogs

This temporarily hides all open dialogs; another F12 shows them again.

Within a dialog

Esc return to the canvas

Ctrl + F4 , Ctrl + W close the dialog

Tab jump to next widget

Shift + Tab jump to previous widget

Enter set the new value

 This accepts the new value you typed in a text field and returns focus to canvas.

Space , Enter activate current button or list

Ctrl + PgUp , Ctrl + PgDn in a multi-tab dialog, switch tabs

Ctrl + F open a search field in a dialog with a list

Start typing to select the first match. In some dialogs, this will only find elements starting with the search term (e.g. Text

and Font), in others (e.g. XML editor), it will find all elements that contain the search term. Use the up/down arrows to se-

lect the next matching element.

XML editor

* expand all children and subchildren of the cur-

rently selected element

+ , Shift + Right arrow expand direct children of the currently selected

element
- , Shift + Left arrow collapse the currently selected element

Home , End select the topmost/lowermost visible element

in the list

Up arrow , Down arrow select the previous/next visible element in the

list
PgUp , PgDn select element on previous/next page of list

Ctrl + Enter set the attribute's value

When editing an attribute value in XML Editor, this sets the new value (same as clicking the "Set attribute" button).

Tool controls bar

Access

The tool controls bar at the top of the document window provides different buttons and controls for each tool.

Alt + X jump to the first editable field

Navigate

Tab jump to next field

Shift + Tab jump to previous field

Use these to navigate between fields in the tool controls bar (the value in the field you leave, if changed, is accepted).

Change values

Up arrow , Down arrow change value by 0.1

PgUp , PgDn change value by 5.0

 Enter accept the new value
This accepts the new value you typed in a text field and returns focus to canvas.

Esc cancel changes, return to canvas

This cancels any changes you made in a text field and returns focus to canvas.

Ctrl + Z cancel changes

This cancels any changes you made in a text field but you stay in the field.

Canvas
Zoom

= , + zoom in

- zoom out
The keypad +/- keys do zooming even when you are editing a text object, unless NumLock is on.

middle click , Ctrl + right click zoom in

Shift + middle click , Shift + right zoom out

click

Ctrl + mouse wheel zoom in or out

When the "Mouse wheel zooms by default" option is on in Preferences, Ctrl+wheel scrolls instead of zooming. To zoom, use

wheel without Ctrl.

Shift + middle button drag zoom into the area

Alt + Z activate zoom field

The zoom field in the lower right corner of the window allows you to specify zoom level precisely.

Q quick zoom
Zooms to selection, or doubles the current zoom factor if nothing is selected, until key is released.

Preset zooms

1 zoom 1:1

2 zoom 1:2

3 zoom to selection

4 zoom to drawing

5 zoom to page

Ctrl + E , 6 zoom to page width

Ctrl + 4 center page in view (without changing zoom

level)

Zoom history
 ` (back quote) previous zoom

Shift + ` next zoom

With these keys, you can travel back and forth through the history of zooms in this session.

Scroll (pan)

Ctrl + arrows scroll canvas

Scrolling by keys is accelerated, i.e. it speeds up when you press Ctrl+arrows in quick succession, or press and hold.

middle button drag pan canvas

Shift + right button drag , Ctrl + pan canvas

right button drag

mouse wheel scroll canvas vertically

When the "Mouse wheel zooms by default" option is on in Preferences, mouse wheel zooms instead of scrolling. To scroll,

use Ctrl+wheel.

Shift + mouse wheel scroll canvas horizontally

When the "Mouse move pans when Space is pressed" option is on in Preferences, Space+mouse drag also pans canvas.

Guides, grids, snapping

mouse drag drag off a ruler to create guide

Drag off the horizontal or vertical ruler to create a new guideline. Drag a guideline onto the ruler to delete it.

mouse drag drag a guide to move it

Shift + mouse drag drag a guide (not near anchor) to rotate it

Shift + Ctrl + mouse drag rotate guide with angle snapping

Del delete guide

| , Shift + \ toggle guide visibility

For activating / deactivating snapping to guides, use the snap bar or the global snapping toggle (% key).

When you create a new guide by dragging off the ruler, guide visibility is automatically turned on.

# , Shift + 3 toggle grids visibility

For activating / deactivating snapping to grids, use the snap bar or the global snapping toggle (% key).

Note that only the 3 key on the main keyboard works, not on the keypad.

% toggle snapping on and off

This toggle affects snapping to grids, guides, and objects in all tools. The settings in the snap bar determine which snap tar-

gets and snapping points will snap.

Display/Color mode
 Ctrl + keypad 5 toggle normal/no filters/outline mode

Shift + keypad 5 toggle normal/grayscale mode

Split Canvas

Ctrl + keypad 6 toggle split canvas

Document
Shift + Ctrl + R resize page to current selection, or to the draw-
ing if nothing is selected

Palette
These keys work both in the floating palette dialog and in the palette frame at the bottom of the window.

click set fill color on selection

Shift + click , middle click set stroke color on selection

right click open pop-up menu

mouse drag drag fill color to objects

Shift + mouse drag drag stroke color to objects

To change fill/stroke of an object by dragging color on it, that object need not be selected.

You can also drag colors to the Fill (F) and Stroke (S) indicators in the statusbar to change the selection.

mouse wheel scroll palette

File
Ctrl + N create new document

Ctrl + O open a document

Shift + Ctrl + E export to PNG

Ctrl + I import bitmap or vector

Ctrl + P print document

Ctrl + S save document

Shift + Ctrl + S save under a new name

Shift + Ctrl + Alt + S save a copy

Ctrl + Q exit Inkscape

Window
 Ctrl + R toggle rulers

Ctrl + B toggle scrollbars

Shift + Alt + P toggle palette

F11 toggle fullscreen

Shift + F11 toggle toolbars

Ctrl + F11 toggle toolbars and fullscreen

F10 main menu

Menus can also be activated by Alt with the letter underscored in the menu name.

Shift + F10 , right click drop-down (context) menu

Ctrl + F4 , Ctrl + W close document window

This shuts down Inkscape if it was the only document window open.

Ctrl + Tab next document window

Shift + Ctrl + Tab previous document window

These cycle through the active document windows forward and backward.

Extensions
Alt + Q previous extension

Shift + Alt + Q previous extension settings

Layers
Shift + Ctrl + N create new layer

Shift + PgUp move to layer above

Shift + PgDn move to layer below

These commands move the selected objects from one layer to another.

Shift + Ctrl + PgUp raise layer

Shift + Ctrl + PgDn lower layer

Shift + Ctrl + Home raise layer to top

Shift + Ctrl + End lower layer to bottom

These commands move the current layer among its siblings (normally other layers).

Hide/lock
 Shift + click select a layer and toggle visibility (eye icon) or
lock status (lock icon) on the other layers
Shift + Alt + click toggle visibility (eye icon) or lock status (lock
icon) on the unselected layers
These commands apply to the Layers dialog's icons only.

Object
Undo/redo

Shift + Ctrl + Y , Ctrl + Z undo

Shift + Ctrl + Z , Ctrl + Y redo

Clipboard

Ctrl + C , Ctrl + Ins copy selection

Ctrl + X , Shift + Del cut selection

Ctrl + V , Shift + Ins paste clipboard

This places the clipboard objects at the mouse cursor, or at the center of the window if mouse is outside the canvas.

When editing text with the text tool, this pastes the text from the clipboard into the current text object.

Ctrl + Alt + V paste in place

This places the clipboard objects into the original location from which they were copied.

Shift + Ctrl + V paste style

This applies the style of the (first of the) copied object(s) to the current selection.

If a gradient handle (in Gradient tool) or a text span (in Text tool) are selected, they get the style instead of the entire

object.

Ctrl + 7 paste path effect

This applies the path effect of the copied path to the paths/shapes in the current selection.

Duplicate

Ctrl + D duplicate selection

New object(s) are placed exactly over the original(s) and selected.

Clone

Alt + D clone object

A clone can be moved/scaled/rotated/skewed independently, but it updates the path, fill, and stroke from its original.

The clone is placed exactly over the original object and is selected.
 You can only clone one object at a time; if you want to clone several objects together, group them and clone the group.

Shift + Alt + D unlink clone

Unlinking a clone cuts the link to the original, turning the clone into a plain copy.

Shift + D select original

To find out which object this is a clone of, select the clone and give this command. The original will be selected.

Bitmaps

Alt + B create a bitmap copy

This exports the selected object(s) (all other objects hidden) as PNG in the document's directory and imports it back as em-

bedded bitmap.

The imported bitmap is placed over the original selection and is selected.

Shift + Alt + B trace bitmap

This opens the Trace Bitmap dialog allowing you to convert a bitmap object to path(s).

Patterns

Alt + I object(s) to pattern

This converts the selection to a rectangle with tiled pattern fill.

Shift + Alt + I pattern to object(s)

Each selected object with pattern fill is broken into the same object without fill and a single pattern object.

Guides

Shift + G object(s) to guide(s)

Group

Shift + Ctrl + U , Ctrl + G group selected objects

Use Ctrl+click to select objects within group.

Shift + Ctrl + G , Ctrl + U ungroup selected group(s)

This removes only one level of grouping; press Ctrl+U repeatedly to ungroup nested groups.

Align

Ctrl + Alt + H center selected objects on vertical axis

Ctrl + Alt + T center selected objects on horizontal axis

Ctrl + Alt + keypad 5 center selected objects on horizontal and verti-

cal axis
 Ctrl + Alt + keypad 4 align left edges of selected objects

Ctrl + Alt + keypad 8 align top edges of selected objects

Ctrl + Alt + keypad 6 align right edges of selected objects

Ctrl + Alt + keypad 2 align bottom edges of selected objects

Objects are aligned relative to the anchor point set in the "Relative to" field in the "Align and Distribute" dialog.

Z-order

Home raise selection to top

End lower selection to bottom

PgUp raise selection one step

PgDn lower selection one step

Path
Convert to path

Shift + Ctrl + C convert selected object(s) to path

Ctrl + Alt + C convert stroke to path

Boolean operations

Ctrl + + union
Union combines any number of objects into a single path, removing overlaps.

Ctrl + - difference
Difference works on 2 objects, extracting the top from the bottom.

Ctrl + * intersection
Intersection creates a path representing the common (overlapping) area of all selected objects.

Ctrl + ^ exclusive OR (XOR)

XOR is similar to Union, except that it works on 2 objects and removes areas where the objects overlap.

Ctrl + / division (cut)

Division cuts the bottom object into pieces by the top object, preserving the fill and stroke of the bottom.

Ctrl + Alt + / cut path

Cut Path cuts the bottom object's stroke only where it is intersected by the top path, removing any fill from the result.

The result of Union, Difference, Intersection, and XOR inherits the id= attribute and therefore the clones of the bottom

object.

Division and Cut path normally produce several objects; of them, a random one inherits the id= of the bottom source object.
Offsets

Ctrl + ( inset path (towards center)

Ctrl + ) outset path (away from center)

The default offset distance is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels).

Alt + ( inset path by 1 pixel

Alt + ) outset path by 1 pixel

Shift + Alt + ( inset path by 10 pixels

Shift + Alt + ) outset path by 10 pixels

The actual distance for pixel offsets depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer adjustment.

All the (, ) commands convert the object to path, if necessary, and produce regular path.

Ctrl + J create dynamic offset

Ctrl + Alt + J create linked offset

These commands produce an offset object, editable by the node tool, standalone or linked to the original.

Shift + D select source

Selecting a linked offset and giving this command will select the source path of the linked offset.

Combine

Ctrl + K combine paths

This is different from grouping in that combined paths create one object.

This is different from Union in that overlapping areas are not affected.

Whether overlapping areas are filled is controlled by the Fill: winding/alternating switch on the Fill & Stroke dialog.

Shift + Ctrl + K break paths apart

This attempts to break an object into constituent paths; it will fail if the object is one solid path.

Simplify

Ctrl + L simplify

This command attempts to simplify selected path(s) by removing extra nodes. It converts all objects to paths first.

If you invoke this command several times in quick succession, it will act more and more aggressively.

Invoking Simplify again after a pause restores the default threshold (settable in the Inkscape Preferences dialog).

Path effects

7 show next editable path effect parameter

Selector
 Select (mouse)

click select an object

When you left-click on an object, previous selection is deselected.

Shift + click toggle selection

Shift+click adds an object to the current selection if it was not selected, or deselects it otherwise.

double-click edit the object

For paths, double clicking switches to Node tool; for shapes, to corresponding shape tool; for text, to Text tool.

For groups, double clicking performs the "Enter group" command (the group becomes a temporary layer).

Double clicking in empty space switches to the parent layer in the hierarchy, if any.

Rubberband, touch selection

mouse drag select by rubberband

Dragging around objects does "rubberband" selection; previous selection is deselected.

Shift + mouse drag add objects to selection

Normally, you need to start from an empty space to initiate a rubberband.

However, if you press Shift before dragging, Inkscape will do rubberband selection even if you start from an object.

Alt + mouse drag , Shift + Alt + mouse select by touch

drag

Alt+dragging over objects selects those objects that are touched by the path.

To start touch selection with Alt, you must have nothing selected; otherwise use Shift+Alt.

You can switch rubberband selection to touch selection and back while dragging by pressing/releasing Alt.

Select (keyboard)

Tab select next object

Shift + Tab select previous object

These keys pick objects in their z-order (Tab cycles from bottom to top, Shift+Tab cycles from top to bottom).

Unless you did manual rearrangements, the last object you created is always on top.

As a result, if nothing is selected, pressing Shift+Tab once conveniently selects the object you created last.

This works on objects within the current layer (unless you change that in preferences).

Ctrl + A select all (current layer)

This works on objects within the current layer (unless you change that in preferences).

Ctrl + Alt + A select all (all layers)

This works on objects in all visible and unlocked layers.

Shift + Alt + A select all with same type (all layers)

 Selects all objects of the same type as the currently selected. This works on objects in all visible and unlocked layers.

! invert selection (current layer)

This inverts selection (deselects what was selected and vice versa) in the current layer.

Alt + ! invert selection (all layers)

This inverts selection (deselects what was selected and vice versa) in visible and unlocked layers.

Esc deselect

Backspace , Del delete selection

Select within group, select under

Ctrl + click select within group

Ctrl+click selects the object at click point disregarding any levels of grouping that this object might belong to.

Shift + Ctrl + click toggle selection within group

Alt + click select under

Alt+click selects the object at click point which is beneath (in z-order) the lowest selected object at click point.

If the bottom object is reached, Alt+click again selects the top object. So, several Alt+clicks cycle through z-order stack at

point.

On GNU/Linux, Alt+click and Alt+drag may be reserved by the window manager. Reconfigure it so you can use them in

Inkscape.

If your keyboard has a Meta key, you may wish to set your "Modifier key" to use it instead of Alt.

(Sometimes you can also use Ctrl+Alt+click (select under in groups) with the same effect as Alt+click.)

Shift + Alt + click toggle under

Ctrl + Alt + click select under, in groups

Shift + Ctrl + Alt + click toggle under, in groups

Ctrl + Enter enter group

Ctrl + Backspace go to parent group/layer

Move (mouse)

mouse drag select + move

Dragging an object selects it if it was not selected, then moves selection.

Alt + mouse drag move selected

Alt+drag moves the current selection (without selecting what is under cursor), no matter where you start the drag.

On GNU/Linux, Alt+click and Alt+drag may be reserved by the window manager. Reconfigure it so you can use them in

Inkscape.

If your keyboard has a Meta key, you may wish to set your "Modifier key" to use it instead of Alt.

Ctrl + mouse drag restrict movement to horizontal or vertical

 Ctrl + mouse drag select and drag first touched item

When starting the drag motion in an empty area of the canvas and then touching any object, that object will be moved

along with the mouse. You can then let go of the Ctrl key to keep dragging the item without restriction of movement

direction.

Shift + mouse drag temporarily disable snapping

This temporarily disables snapping when you are dragging with snapping activated.

mouse drag + Space drop a copy

When dragging or transforming with mouse, each Space leaves a copy of the selected object.

You can press and hold Space while dragging for a nice "trail."

Move (keyboard)

arrows move selection by the nudge distance

Shift + arrows move selection by 10x nudge distance

The default nudge distance is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels).

Alt + arrows move selection by 1 pixel

Shift + Alt + arrows move selection by 10 pixels

The actual distance for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement.

Transform (mouse)

click , Shift + S toggle scale/rotation handles

mouse drag scale (with scale handles)

mouse drag rotate or skew (with rotation handles)

Scale by handles

mouse drag scale

Ctrl + mouse drag scale preserving aspect ratio

Shift + mouse drag symmetric transformation

Holding Shift while transforming makes the transformation symmetric around the rotation center of the selection.

Combined with Ctrl, this can be used to scale objects around an arbitrary center point.

Alt + mouse drag scale by integer

Hold Alt while scaling to limit scale to 2, 3, 4, etc. or 1/2, 1/3, 1/4 etc. of the initial size.

Scale (keyboard)

. , > scale selection up by the scale step

 , , < scale selection down by the scale step
The default scale step is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels).

Ctrl + . , Ctrl + > scale selection to 200%

Ctrl + , , Ctrl + < scale selection to 50%

Alt + . , Alt + > scale selection up by 1 pixel

Alt + , , Alt + < scale selection down by 1 pixel

The actual size increment for pixel scaling depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer scaling.

The default size increment is added to (or subtracted from) either the selection's height or width, whichever one is larger.

Scaling is done around the center of the selection's bounding box and keeps the proportions of the selected object(s).

Rotate/skew by handles

mouse drag rotate or skew

Ctrl + mouse drag snap skew angle

Holding Ctrl when dragging a skew (non-corner) handle snaps the skew angle to angle steps (default 15 degrees).

Ctrl + mouse drag snap rotation angle

Holding Ctrl when dragging a rotation (corner) handle snaps the rotation angle to angle steps (default 15 degrees).

Shift + mouse drag rotate around opposite corner

Rotate (keyboard)

[ , ] rotate selection by the angle step

The default angle step is 15 degrees. ] rotates clockwise, [ rotates counterclockwise.

Ctrl + [ , Ctrl + ] rotate selection by 90 degrees

Alt + [ , Alt + ] rotate selection by 1 pixel

The actual angle for pixel rotation depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement.

These commands use the rotation center, draggable in Selector (by default it's in geometric center).

Flip

h flip selection horizontally

v flip selection vertically

If the tool is in rotate mode (rotation center visible), that center becomes the axis of flipping; otherwise it flips around geo-

metric center of selection.

Rotation center

mouse drag move rotation center

 Moved rotation center remembers and saves its position for (all) selected object(s); you can reset it.

Shift + mouse drag move without snapping

Shift + click reset rotation center

Resetting rotation center moves it back to the geometric center of the object's or selection's bounding box.

Cancel

Esc cancel rubberband, move, transformation

Press Esc while mouse button is still down to cancel rubberband selection, move, or transformation of any kind.

Node tool
Select objects (mouse)

click click a non-selected object to select

Alt + click select under

Alt + mouse wheel cycle z-order

Shift + click toggle selection

These work the same as in Selector. The nodes or handles of the single selected object become editable.

Select nodes (mouse)

click select a node

Clicking on a node selects it.

click select two adjacent nodes

Clicking on a selected path between the nodes selects the two nodes closest to the click point.

Shift + click toggle selection

This adds/removes a node (if clicked on node) or two nodes (if clicked on path) to/from the node selection.

click deselect

Clicking in an empty space deselects all selected nodes. Next click will deselect the object.

Rubberband selection

mouse drag select multiple nodes

Dragging around nodes does "rubberband" selection; previous node selection is deselected.

Shift + mouse drag add nodes to selection

Normally, you need to start from a point not over a path or a node to initiate a rubberband.

However, if you press Shift before dragging, Inkscape will do rubberband selection even if you start over the path.
Select nodes (keyboard)

Tab select next node

Shift + Tab select previous node

These keys select nodes within the selected path.

Ctrl + A select all nodes in subpath(s)

If the path has multiple subpaths and some nodes selected, this selects all only in subpaths with already selected nodes.

Ctrl + Alt + A select all nodes in path

This selects all nodes in the entire path.

! invert selection in subpath(s)

If the path has multiple subpaths and some nodes selected, this inverts selection only in subpaths with already selected

nodes.

Alt + ! invert selection in path

This inverts selection (deselects what was selected and vice versa) in the entire path.

Esc deselect all nodes

Grow/shrink node selection

PgUp , PgDn grow/shrink selection (spatial)

mouse wheel grow/shrink selection (spatial)

Ctrl + PgUp , Ctrl + PgDn grow/shrink selection (along path)

Ctrl + mouse wheel grow/shrink selection (along path)

Your mouse pointer must be over a node for growing/shrinking.

Each key press or turn of the mouse wheel selects the nearest unselected node or deselects the farthest selected node.

Distance to nodes can be calculated directly (spatial mode) or along path.

Move nodes (mouse)

mouse drag move selected nodes

Ctrl + mouse drag restrict movement to horizontal or vertical

Ctrl + Alt + mouse drag move along handles

This restricts movement to the directions of the node's handles, their counter directions and perpendiculars (total 8 snaps).

If the node has straight lines on one or both sides, this will snap it to these lines' directions and perpendiculars instead.

Shift + mouse drag temporarily disable snapping

Shift + mouse drag drag out handle

If a node has a retracted handle, dragging with Shift lets you drag it out of the node.
 mouse drag + Space drop a copy

When dragging nodes with mouse, each Space leaves a copy of the selected object.

You can press and hold Space while dragging for a nice "trail."

Alt + mouse drag sculpt selected nodes

Sculpting moves the selected nodes so that the dragged node moves all the way, the farthest selected nodes stay put; all

intermediate selected nodes move intermediate distances, governed by a bell-like curve.

Sculpting is pressure-sensitive with a tablet; press harder for a blunter drag profile, press lightly for a sharper profile.

To stop sculpting without losing the pressure-sensitive profile, release Alt first and then lift the pen.

Move nodes (keyboard)

arrows move selected node(s) by the nudge distance

Shift + arrows move selected node(s) by 10x nudge distance

The default nudge distance is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels).

Alt + arrows move selected node(s) by 1 pixel

Shift + Alt + arrows move selected node(s) by 10 pixels

The actual distance for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement.

Move node handle (mouse)

mouse drag move a node handle

Ctrl + mouse drag snap the handle to angle steps

The default angle step is 15 degrees. This also snaps to the handle's original angle, its counter direction and perpendiculars.

Shift + mouse drag rotate both handles

Alt + mouse drag lock the handle length

Ctrl, Shift, Alt can be combined when dragging handles.

Ctrl + click retract the handle

Retracted handle is zero length; use Shift+drag to drag it back out.

Scale handle (1 node selected)

< , > contract/expand both handles by scale step

The default scale step is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels). May apply to more than one node.

Left Ctrl + < , Left Ctrl + > scale left handle by the scale step

Right Ctrl + < , Right Ctrl + > scale right handle by the scale step

Left Alt + < , Left Alt + > scale left handle by 1 pixel

Right Alt + < , Right Alt + > scale right handle by 1 pixel
 The actual size increment for pixel scaling depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer scaling.

Instead of the < and > keys, you can use the , (comma) and . (period) keys respectively.

Rotate handle (1 node selected)

[ , ] rotate both handles by the angle step

The default angle step is 15 degrees. ] rotates clockwise, [ rotates counterclockwise. May apply to more than one node.

Left Ctrl + [ , Left Ctrl + ] rotate left handle by the angle step

Right Ctrl + [ , Right Ctrl + ] rotate right handle by the angle step

Left Alt + [ , Left Alt + ] rotate left handle by 1 pixel

Right Alt + [ , Right Alt + ] rotate right handle by 1 pixel

Handles visibility

Ctrl + H toggle handles

Scale nodes (>1 nodes selected)

These commands scale the selected nodes as if they were an "object".

If mouse is over a node, that node becomes the axis of scaling; otherwise it scales around geometric center of selected

nodes.

. , > scale nodes up by the scale step

, , < scale nodes down by the scale step

The default scale step is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels).

Alt + . , Alt + > scale nodes up by 1 pixel

Alt + , , Alt + < scale nodes down by 1 pixel

The actual size increment for pixel scaling depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer scaling.

The default size increment is added to (or subtracted from) either the node selection's height or width, whichever one is

larger. Scaling keeps the proportions of the node selection.

Rotate nodes (>1 nodes selected)

These commands rotate the selected nodes as if they were an "object".

If mouse is over a node, that node becomes the axis of rotation; otherwise it rotates around geometric center of selected

nodes.

[ , ] rotate nodes by the angle step

The default angle step is 15 degrees. ] rotates clockwise, [ rotates counterclockwise.

Alt + [ , Alt + ] rotate nodes by 1 pixel

The actual angle for pixel rotation depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement.
Flip nodes (>1 nodes selected)

These commands flip the selected nodes as if they were an "object", around the center of that object.

h flip nodes horizontally

v flip nodes vertically

If mouse is over a node, that node becomes the axis of flipping; otherwise it flips around geometric center of selected

nodes

Change segment(s)

Shift + L make line

Shift + U make curve

These commands require that more than two adjacent nodes be selected.

Change node type

Shift + C make cusp

First Shift+C changes type of node; if you do another Shift+C on an already cusp node, it retracts its handles.

Shift + S make smooth

If a cusp node is adjacent to a line segment, first Shift+S makes it half-smooth with one handle collinear
with the segment;

another Shift+S will expand a second handle.

Shift + Y make symmetric

When making smooth or symmetric, you can lock the position of one of the handles by hovering mouse over it.

Shift + A make auto

Ctrl + click toggle smooth/cusp/symmetric/auto

Join/break

Shift + J join selected nodes

This requires that exactly two end nodes within the path be selected.

You can lock the position of one of the two joined nodes by hovering mouse over it.

Alt + J join selected end nodes with new segment

Shift + B break selected node(s)

After break, only one of each two new nodes is selected. May apply to more than one node.

Delete, create, duplicate

Backspace , Del delete selected node(s)

 Ctrl + Backspace , Ctrl + Del delete without preserving shape
Deleting without Ctrl adjusts handles on the remaining nodes to preserve the shape of the curve as much as possible.

Deleting with Ctrl does not touch the remaining nodes.

Alt + Backspace delete segment between pairs of adjacent se-

lected nodes
Ctrl + Alt + click create/delete node

Ctrl+Alt+click on a node deletes it; Ctrl+Alt+click on the path between nodes creates a new node in the click point.

Deleting nodes this way always tries to preserve the shape of the curve (same as Del/Backspace).

double-click create node

Double clicking on the path between nodes creates a node in the click point.

Ins , Shift + I insert new node(s)

This adds new node(s) in the middle(s) of selected segment(s), so it requires that more than two adjacent nodes be

selected.

Shift + D duplicate selected node(s)

New nodes are created on the same path; they are placed exactly over the old ones and are selected.

Reverse

Shift + R reverse path direction

Edit shapes

Node tool can also drag the handles of shapes (rectangles, ellipses, stars, spirals). Click on a shape to select it.

See the corresponding shape tools for their editing shortcuts, all of which also work in node tool.

Edit fills and path effects

Node tool can also edit the handles of a pattern fill, gradient fill, and the editable handles of path effects.

Cancel

Esc cancel rubberband or move

Press Esc while mouse button is still down to cancel rubberband selection, node move, or handle move.

Tweak tool
Operation

mouse drag act on selected paths in the current mode

reverse current mode (when applicable)

 Shift + mouse drag

Ctrl + mouse drag temporarily switch to shrink mode

Shift + Ctrl + mouse drag temporarily switch to grow mode

The amount of tweaking action is the greatest at the center of the circular area and drops off smoothly towards the edges.

Modes

Shift + M , Shift + 0 move mode

Shift + I , Shift + 1 move in/out mode

Drag moves objects inwards to cursor, drag with Shift moves outwards from cursor.

Shift + Z , Shift + 2 move jitter mode

Shift + < , Shift + > , Shift + 3 scale mode

Drag scales objects down, drag with Shift scales up.

Shift + [ , Shift + ] , Shift + 4 rotate mode

Drag rotates objects clockwise, drag with Shift, counterclockwise.

Shift + D , Shift + 5 duplicate/delete mode

Drag randomly duplicates objects, drag with Shift randomly deletes.

Shift + P , Shift + 6 push path mode

Shift + S , Shift + 7 shrink/grow path mode

Drag insets paths, drag with Shift outsets.

Shift + A , Shift + 8 attract/repel path mode

Drag attracts paths to cursor, drag with Shift repels.

Shift + R , Shift + 9 roughen mode

Shift + C color paint mode

Shift + J color jitter mode

Shift + B blur mode

Parameters

Left arrow , Right arrow adjust brush width by 1

Home , End set brush width to its minimum or maximum

Up arrow , Down arrow adjust tweaking force

Width and force can be adjusted while drawing. With a pressure-sensitive tablet, force also depends on pen pressure.

Zoom tool
click zoom in
 Shift + click zoom out

mouse drag zoom into the area

Measure tool
mouse drag measure distance and angle between the start
point and the cursor
Shift + mouse drag set base of angle measurement to cursor
position
Ctrl + mouse drag snap angle measure to angle steps

The default angle step is 15 degrees.

Rectangle tool
Draw

mouse drag draw a rectangle

Ctrl + mouse drag make a square or integer-ratio rectangle

This restricts width/height ratio or its inverse to a whole number or the golden ratio.

Shift + mouse drag draw around the starting point

This creates a rectangle symmetric around the starting point of the mouse drag.

Select

click click to select

Alt + click , Ctrl + Alt + click select under

Shift + click toggle selection

In this tool, selecting by click disregards any grouping (i.e. acts as clicking with Ctrl in Selector).

Esc deselect

Resize by handles

mouse drag drag a square handle to resize

Initially, the two resize (square) handles are in top left and bottom right corners.

Resize handles change the width and height of the rectangle in its own coordinate system, before any transforms are

applied.

Ctrl + mouse drag lock width, height, or ratio

Round corners by handles

mouse drag drag a circular handle to round corners

Initially, the two rounding handles are in the top right corner of the rectangle.

Ctrl + mouse drag lock the corner circular

Ctrl + click set the corner circular

When rounding corners, dragging one rounding handle keeps the corner circular if the other remains at the corner.

You can drag both handles for an elliptic rounded corner, or drag/click one with Ctrl to make it circular again.

Shift + click remove corner rounding

3D box tool
Draw

mouse drag draw a 3D box (X/Y plane)

Shift + mouse drag draw a 3D box (extrude in Z)

Select

click click to select

Alt + click , Ctrl + Alt + click select under

Shift + click toggle selection

Esc deselect

Edit by handles

All editing operations occur "in perspective", i.e., either along perspective lines or within planes spanned by these.

mouse drag resize/move box

The four front handles and the center normally move within the XY plane, the four rear handles along the Z axis.

Shift + mouse drag resize/move (with handle behaviour swapped)

Ctrl + mouse drag resize/move (handles snap to axes or diagonals)

Edit perspectives

In what follows, we use the abbreviations VP = vanishing point, PL = perspective line.

mouse drag drag square handles to move the VPs

[ , ] rotate X-PLs (if parallel) by the angle step

 The default angle step is 15 degrees. ],),} rotate clockwise, [,(,{ rotate counterclockwise.

Alt + [ , Alt + ] rotate X-PLs (if parallel) by 1 pixel

( , ) rotate Y-PLs (if parallel) by the angle step

Alt + ( , Alt + ) rotate Y-PLs (if parallel) by 1 pixel

{ , } rotate Z-PLs (if parallel) by the angle step

Alt + { , Alt + } rotate Z-PLs (if parallel) by 1 pixel

Ellipse tool
Draw

Without Alt the starting and ending point of the mouse drag mark the corners of the bounding box.

With Alt the ellipse is enlarged so that its circumference passes through these two points (Ctrl+Alt is a special case; see

below).

mouse drag draw an ellipse

Ctrl + mouse drag make circle or integer-ratio ellipse

This restricts width/height ratio or its inverse to a whole number or the golden ratio.

Shift + mouse drag draw around the starting point

This creates an ellipse symmetric around the starting point of the mouse drag.

Ctrl + Alt + mouse drag create circle passing through the starting and
ending point
This creates a perfect circle whose diameter is defined by the starting and ending point of the mouse drag.

Select

click click to select

Alt + click , Ctrl + Alt + click select under

Shift + click toggle selection

In this tool, selecting by click disregards any grouping (i.e. acts as clicking with Ctrl in Selector).

Esc deselect

Edit by handles

mouse drag resize, make arc or segment

Initially, the two resize handles are at the topmost and leftmost points; the two arc/segment handles are in the rightmost

point.

Ctrl + mouse drag lock circle (resize handles)

Ctrl + mouse drag snap to angle steps (arc/segment handles)

 Resize handles change the width and height of the ellipse in its own coordinate system, before any transforms are applied.

The default angle step is 15 degrees.

Shift + click make whole (arc/segment handles)

Star tool
Draw

mouse drag draw a star

Ctrl + mouse drag snap star to angle steps

The default angle step is 15 degrees.

Select

click click to select

Alt + click , Ctrl + Alt + click select under

Shift + click toggle selection

In this tool, selecting by click disregards any grouping (i.e. acts as clicking with Ctrl in Selector).

Esc deselect

Edit by handles

mouse drag drag a handle to vary the star shape

Ctrl + mouse drag keep star rays radial (no skew)

Shift + mouse drag round the star

Shift + click remove rounding

Alt + mouse drag randomize the star

Alt + click , Ctrl + Alt + click remove randomization

Spiral tool
Draw

mouse drag draw a spiral

Ctrl + mouse drag snap spiral to angle steps

The default angle step is 15 degrees.

Select
 click click to select

Alt + click , Ctrl + Alt + click select under

Shift + click toggle selection

In this tool, selecting by click disregards any grouping (i.e. acts as clicking with Ctrl in Selector).

Esc deselect

Edit by handles

mouse drag roll/unroll from inside (inner handle)

Dragging the inner handle adjusts the "inner radius" parameter.

Alt + mouse drag converge/diverge (inner handle)

Alt + click , Ctrl + Alt + click reset divergence (inner handle)

Vertical Alt+drag of the inner handle adjusts the "divergence" parameter, Alt+click resets it to 1.

Shift + click zero inner radius (inner handle)

Shift+click on inner handle makes the spiral start from the center.

mouse drag roll/unroll from outside (outer handle)

Dragging the outer handle adjusts the "turns" parameter.

Alt + mouse drag lock radius (outer handle)

Roll/unroll without changing radius.

Shift + mouse drag scale/rotate (outer handle)

Use Shift+Alt+drag to rotate only (locks the radius of the spiral).

Ctrl + mouse drag snap handles to angle steps

The default angle step is 15 degrees. This works for both handles.

Pencil tool
mouse drag draw a freehand path

Shift + mouse drag add to selected path

If a path is selected, Shift+dragging from anywhere starts a new subpath instead of a new independent path.

Shift + mouse drag temporarily disable snapping

This temporarily disables snapping when you are dragging with snapping activated.

Alt + mouse drag averaging draw (sketch mode)

Ctrl + mouse drag lift pencil

A short press of the Ctrl key discontinues the current path. Release the mouse button and click and drag again to continue.

The loose ends will be connected by straight lines when the path is finished.

start a straight path (finish with another click)

 click

Create dots

Ctrl + click create a dot

This creates a small circle. Its size (relative to the current stroke width) can be set in Preferences.

Shift + Ctrl + click create a double-sized dot

Ctrl + Alt + click create a random-sized dot

Pen (Bezier) tool

Create nodes

click create a sharp node

If no path is being created, this starts a new path.

Shift + click add to selected path

If a path is selected, Shift+dragging anywhere creates a new subpath instead of a new independent path.

mouse drag create a Bezier node with two handles

Shift + mouse drag move only one handle

This moves only one handle (instead of both) while creating a node, making it cusp.

Ctrl + mouse drag snap the handle to angle steps

The default angle step is 15 degrees.

Move last node

These commands move the last created node (at the start of the red segment) while creating a path.

arrows move last node by the nudge distance

Shift + arrows move last node by 10x nudge distance

The default nudge distance is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels).

Alt + arrows move last node by 1 pixel

Shift + Alt + arrows move last node by 10 pixels

The actual distance for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement.

Create/modify segments

Ctrl snap last segment to angle steps

This snaps the new node's angle, relative to the previous node, to angle steps (default 15 degrees).

Shift + L make last segment line

 Shift + U make last segment curve
These commands change the last (red) segment of the path to straight line or curve.

Create dots

Ctrl + click create a dot (straight line modes only)

This creates a small circle. Its size (relative to the current stroke width) can be set in Preferences.

Shift + Ctrl + click create a double-sized dot

Ctrl + Alt + click create a random-sized dot

Finish

Enter finish current path

Shift + Enter finish and close current path

right click finish current path

double-click finish current path

Enter or right click finish the current line, discarding the last unfinished (red) segment. Double left click finishes the current

line where double-clicked.

Cancel

Esc , Ctrl + Z cancel current line

Backspace , Del erase last segment of current line

Calligraphy tool
Draw

mouse drag draw a calligraphic stroke

Shift + mouse drag add to selected path

Drawing with Shift unions the newly created stroke with the previous selection.

Alt + mouse drag subtract from selected path

Drawing with Alt subtracts the newly created stroke from the previous selection.

Ctrl + mouse drag track a guide path

Drawing with Ctrl tracks a selected guide path at the constant distance.

Left arrow , Right arrow adjust pen width by 1

Home , End set pen width to its minimum or maximum

Up arrow , Down arrow adjust pen angle

 Width and angle can be adjusted while drawing.

Esc deselect

Create dots

click create a dot

Shift + click create a larger dot

Click in place without moving the mouse to create a dot.

Text tool
Select/create

click create/select a text object

Clicking in an empty space or on a non-text creates a text object; now you can type your text.

Clicking on a text object selects it; cursor is placed near the click point.

Esc deselect the text object

Navigate in text

arrows move cursor by one character

Ctrl + Left arrow , Ctrl + Right arrow move cursor by one word

Ctrl + Up arrow , Ctrl + Down arrow move cursor by one paragraph

Home , End go to beginning/end of line

Ctrl + Home , Ctrl + End go to beginning/end of text

PgUp , PgDn move cursor by one screen

All these commands cancel current text selection, if any. Use them with Shift to add to / subtract from selection instead.

Flowed text (internal frame)

mouse drag create flowed text

Clicking and dragging in an empty space or on a non-text creates a flowed text object with internal frame.

mouse drag adjust frame size

Dragging the handle in the lower right corner of the selected flowed text changes width/height of the frame.

Ctrl + mouse drag lock width, height, or ratio of frame

Dragging the corner handle with Ctrl resizes the frame preserving either width, or height, or ratio.

Flowed text (external frame)

 Alt + W flow text into frame
With a text object and a shape/path selected, this flows text into the shape/path.

Both remain separate objects, but are linked; editing the shape/path causes the text to reflow.

Shift + Alt + W unflow text from frame

This cuts the flowed text's link to the shape/path, producing a single-line regular text object.

Shift + D select external frame

To find out which object is the frame of this flowed text, select it and press Shift+D. The frame will be selected.

Text on path

Shift + D select path from text

To find out which path this text is put on, select it and press Shift+D. The path will be selected.

Edit text

To type + and - characters, use the main keyboard; keypad + and - are reserved for zoom (unless NumLock is on).

Enter start a new line or paragraph

Enter in regular text creates new line; in flowed text it creates a new paragraph.

Ctrl + U toggle Unicode entry

To insert an arbitrary Unicode character, type Ctrl+U, then the hexadecimal code point, then Enter.

For example, type Ctrl+U 2 0 1 4 Enter for an em-dash; Ctrl+U a 9 Enter for a copyright sign.

To stay in Unicode mode after inserting the character, press Space instead of Enter.

Press Esc or another Ctrl+U to cancel Unicode mode without inserting the character.

Ctrl + Space insert no-break space

A no-break space is visible even in a text object without xml:space="preserve".

Select text

mouse drag select text

Left-dragging over a text object selects a text span.

Shift + arrows select text by character

Shift + Ctrl + arrows select text by word

Shift + Home , Shift + End select to beginning/end of line

Shift + Ctrl + Home , Shift + Ctrl + select to beginning/end of text

End

Shift + PgUp , Shift + PgDn select one screen up/down

double-click select word

 click + click + click select line

Ctrl + A select all text

This selects the entire text of the current text object.

Style selection

Ctrl + B make selection bold

Ctrl + I make selection italic

Also, you can use the Text&Font or Fill&Stroke dialogs to assign any style to text selection.

Letter spacing

Alt + > expand line/paragraph by 1 pixel

Shift + Alt + > expand line/paragraph by 10 pixels

Alt + < contract line/paragraph by 1 pixel

Shift + Alt + < contract line/paragraph by 10 pixels

These commands (only when editing text) adjust letter spacing in the current line (regular text) or paragraph (flowed text).

The actual adjustment for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer adjustment.

Line spacing

Ctrl + Alt + > make the text object taller by 1 pixel

Shift + Ctrl + Alt + > make the text object taller by 10 pixels

Ctrl + Alt + < make the text object shorter by 1 pixel

Shift + Ctrl + Alt + < make the text object shorter by 10 pixels
These commands (only when editing text) adjust line spacing in the entire text object (regular or flowed).

The actual adjustment for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer adjustment.

Kerning and shifting

Alt + arrows shift characters by 1 pixel

Shift + Alt + arrows shift characters by 10 pixels

These commands work when editing a regular text object. Kerning does not work in flowed text.

With no selection, they shift (horizontally or vertically) the characters after the cursor until the end of line.

With selection, they shift the selection relative to the rest of text (by inserting opposite kerns at both ends of selection).

The actual adjustment for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer adjustment.

Rotate
 Ctrl + [ , Ctrl + ] rotate character(s) by 90 degrees

Alt + [ , Alt + ] rotate character(s) by 1 pixel

These commands rotate the next character (without selection) or all characters in the selection (with selection).

Rotation only works in regular text (not flowed text).

The actual angle for pixel rotation depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement.

Spray tool
Modes

Shift + J copy mode

Shift + K clone mode

Shift + L single path mode

Parameters

Left arrow , Right arrow adjust spray width by 1

Up arrow , Down arrow adjust spray population by 1

Home , End set spray width to its minimum or maximum

Eraser tool
Left arrow , Right arrow adjust eraser width by 1

Home , End set eraser width to its minimum or maximum

Paint Bucket
click fill a bounded area

Shift + click add to selected path

Clicking with Shift unions the newly created fill with the previous selection.

mouse drag fill from each point

From each point, the fill spreads to the neighbors with the colors similar to that point.

This can be used to fill an area currently filled with a gradient or blur.

Alt + mouse drag fill from each point similar to the initial point

From each point, the fill spreads to the neighbors with the colors similar to the initial point of the drag.

This can be used to fill several disjoint bounded areas by starting in one and dragging over all of the areas.

Ctrl + click set fill color

Shift + Ctrl + click set stroke color

 Ctrl+clicking an object sets its fill (or stroke with Shift) to the tool's current style; the object need not be selected.

Gradient tool
Select objects

click click an object to select

Alt + click select under

Shift + click toggle selection

Create gradients

mouse drag create gradient

This creates gradient on selected objects. The tool controls bar lets you select linear/radial and fill/stroke for the new

gradient.

double-click create default gradient

This creates default (horizontal edge-to-edge for linear, centered edge-to-edge-to-edge for radial) gradient on clicked

object.

Select handles

click select a handle

Shift + click add handle to selection

Shift + mouse drag select by rubberband

Tab select next handle

Shift + Tab select previous handle

Ctrl + A select all handles

Esc deselect all handles

Single click outside all handles also deselects all handles.

Create/delete intermediate stops

Ctrl + Alt + click , double-click create a stop

Ctrl+Alt+click or double click on a gradient line creates a new intermediate stop.

Ctrl + Alt + click delete stop

Ctrl+Alt+click on a stop's handle deletes the stop; if it was an end stop, gradient shortens or disappears.

Ins , Shift + I insert new stop(s)

 This adds new stop(s) in the middle(s) between adjacent, selected stops or, if only one stop is selected, in the middle of the

segment that starts with the selected stop.

Del delete selected stops

Move handles/stops

mouse drag move selected handle(s)

Ctrl + mouse drag move stops in 1/10 range increments

Ctrl+dragging selected intermediate stops moves them snapping to 1/10 steps of the available range.

Alt + mouse drag sculpt selected stops

Sculpting moves the selected intermediate stops depending on how close each one is to the stop being dragged, using a

smooth bell-like curve similar to the node sculpting feature in Node tool.

Ctrl + L simplify selected stops

Simplify looks at adjacent selected stops and removes redundant stops.

arrows move selected handle by the nudge distance

Shift + arrows move selected handle by 10x nudge distance

The default nudge distance is 2 px (SVG pixel units, not screen pixels).

Alt + arrows move selected handle by 1 pixel

Shift + Alt + arrows move selected handle by 10 pixels

If at least one end handle is selected, arrow keys move the end handle to move or resize the gradient line.

If only mid stops are selected, arrow keys move the selected stops along the gradient line.

The actual distance for pixel movements depends on zoom level. Zoom in for finer movement.

Reverse

Shift + R reverse gradient definition

This mirrors the stop positions of the current gradient without moving the gradient handles.

Dropper tool
click pick fill color

Shift + click pick stroke color

mouse drag average fill color

Shift + mouse drag average stroke color

Click applies the color under cursor to the current selection. Dragging a radius calculates the average color of a circular area.

If a gradient handle (in Gradient tool) is selected, it gets the color instead of the entire object.

Alt + click , Alt + mouse drag , Ctrl + pick inverse color

Alt + click , Ctrl + Alt + mouse drag
 If Alt is pressed, picking color (with or without Shift, by click or by drag) picks the inverse of the color.

Ctrl + C copy color

This copies the color under cursor to the clipboard, as text in RRGGBBAA format (8 hex digits).

Authors:
Sylvain Chiron; Nicolas Dufour; Jabier Arraiza; Lucas Vieites; Gellért Gyuris; Nathan
Lee; Maren Hachmann; Patrick Storz

Inkscape is Free and Open Source Software licensed under the GPL.

Documents Team
Language: 'en'